Alaskahttp://www.businessinsider.com/category/alaska
en-usTue, 03 Mar 2015 18:22:17 -0500Tue, 03 Mar 2015 18:22:17 -0500The latest news on Alaska from Business Insiderhttp://static3.businessinsider.com/assets/images/bilogo-250x36-wide-rev.pngBusiness Insiderhttp://www.businessinsider.com
http://www.businessinsider.com/more-troubles-for-alaskas-floating-strip-club-2015-2More troubles for Alaska's floating strip clubhttp://www.businessinsider.com/more-troubles-for-alaskas-floating-strip-club-2015-2
Wed, 25 Feb 2015 21:28:00 -0500Rachel D'Oro
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/54ee84276da811264764a9d9-728-546/wild-alaskan.jpg" border="0" alt="wild alaskan"></p><p>ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Almost from the moment a converted crabbing boat became a floating strip club off the shore of an Alaska island, it's been beset by legal tangles over safety rules and liquor laws. Now there are allegations that it's been dumping human waste into a harbor.</p>
<p>Darren Byler and Kimberly Riedel-Byler have been indicted by a federal grand jury on three counts, including violations of the federal Refuse Act.</p>
<p>A water taxi ferries customers to the 94-foot Wild Alaskan, which features a modest stage surrounded by folding chairs, and a bar with a flat-screen TV and a view of St. Herman Harbor.</p>
<p>According to the Feb. 18 indictment, Byler and Riedel-Byler piped raw sewage from the vessel's bathrooms into the harbor near Kodiak instead of taking the waste 3 miles offshore. The Bylers also are accused of telling the Coast Guard they were properly disposing of the waste when they actually weren't.</p>
<p>Byler, who pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Monday, was released on $25,000 bail, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Reardon said. Riedel-Byler is expected to be arrested soon.</p>
<p>Byler said Tuesday in a phone interview that there was plenty of room to store sewage in the Wild Alaskan's 3,500-gallon holding tank and the ship passed previous marine sanitation and plumbing inspections.</p>
<p>"We're not guilty of pumping into the channel," he said, adding that no lies were told to the Coast Guard, either.</p>
<p>The Wild Alaskan opened for business in June 2014 and was in its infancy when it encountered problems early on.</p>
<p>The Coast Guard briefly shut down the floating bar after someone reported that a water taxi taking patrons to the vessel was overloaded. Before the taxi call, the Coast Guard found the boat had an expired personal location beacon, expired inflatable devices on two life rafts and inoperable navigation sidelights.</p>
<p>At the time, Byler said he believed his troubles stemmed from disapproval that he had exotic dancers aboard the Wild Alaskan.</p>
<p>"But let's face it, this is business. It's nothing personal," he said in July. "And by the way, this business has been around for a while. I didn't invent it."</p>
<p>The Alaska Alcoholic Beverage Control Board revoked the business's liquor license in early December over questions about Byler's common carrier license, which allows the sale of alcohol on vehicles involved in transporting passengers or freight.</p>
<p>Board officials said Kodiak bar owners alleged an unfair advantage for the business because common carrier licenses are subject to less oversight.</p>
<p>Byler said he is fighting license revocation and plans to reopen in the spring.</p>
<p>As for the allegations of improper sewage disposal close to shore, Nick Szabo, a retired fisherman and the member of the city port and harbor advisory board, said he doubts it's an unusual occurrence.</p>
<p>"There are probably other vessels that are doing it," he said. "They just haven't gotten caught."</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/more-troubles-for-alaskas-floating-strip-club-2015-2#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-headphones-tricks-2015-2">14 things you didn't know your iPhone headphones could do</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/air-forces-arctic-survival-school-2015-2This extreme winter survival course teaches service members how to stay alive in Arctic conditionshttp://www.businessinsider.com/air-forces-arctic-survival-school-2015-2
Sun, 08 Feb 2015 20:33:06 -0500Jeremy Bender
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/54d3c353eab8ea346b8b4570-1200-924/arctic-survival-school-2.jpg" border="0" alt="Arctic Survival School"></p><p>Few places on the face of the earth can be as unforgiving or as deadly as the frozen Arctic.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Because of the dangers of the Arctic environment, coupled with the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-competition-for-arctic-resources-2014-6">growing strategic importance</a> of this part of the world, the US Air Force runs the <a href="http://airman.dodlive.mil/2015/02/cool-school-2/">Arctic Survival School</a> out of Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Each year, this five-day intensive training program, also known as Cool School, teaches over 700 servicemembers the survival skills necessary to fight back against nature and survive in the Arctic.&nbsp;</p>
<p id="stcpDiv">“Mother nature does not like you in this situation,” Survival Instructor Staff Sgt. Seth Reab, <a href="http://airman.dodlive.mil/2015/02/cool-school-2/">tells</a> his students in the morning freeze. “She’s violent. She’s harsh. Your job is to survive until help comes; her job is to find a way to take your life.”</p><h3>The Air Force's Cool School, which brings in more than 700 participants every year across all service branches, takes place outside Eielson Air Force Base, deep inside Alaska. Temperatures average about 30 degrees below zero.</h3>
<img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/54d3bd4beab8ea6b508b4567-400-300/the-air-forces-cool-school-which-brings-in-more-than-700-participants-every-year-across-all-service-branches-takes-place-outside-eielson-air-force-base-deep-inside-alaska-temperatures-average-about-30-degrees-below-zero.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>At the start of the course, all participants are given the emergency equipment they would have depending upon what plane they would be flying.</h3>
<img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/54d3bf81ecad041e7159275e-400-300/at-the-start-of-the-course-all-participants-are-given-the-emergency-equipment-they-would-have-depending-upon-what-plane-they-would-be-flying.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>The emergency equipment usually works. But everything else in the Arctic will try to kill the participants. This includes subzero temperatures ...</h3>
<img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/54d3c18feab8ea135f8b4571-400-300/the-emergency-equipment-usually-works-but-everything-else-in-the-arctic-will-try-to-kill-the-participants-this-includes-subzero-temperatures-.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/air-forces-arctic-survival-school-2015-2#-and-even-dehydration-despite-the-abundance-of-snow-it-is-extremely-difficult-to-drink-enough-water-under-harsh-arctic-conditions-4">See the rest of the story at Business Insider</a> http://www.businessinsider.com/air-forces-arctic-survival-school-2015-2This extreme winter survival course teaches service members how to stay alive in Arctic conditionshttp://www.businessinsider.com/air-forces-arctic-survival-school-2015-2
Thu, 05 Feb 2015 15:38:00 -0500Jeremy Bender
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/54d3c353eab8ea346b8b4570-1200-924/arctic-survival-school-2.jpg" border="0" alt="Arctic Survival School"></p><p>Few places on the face of the earth can be as unforgiving or as deadly as the frozen Arctic.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Because of the dangers of the Arctic environment, coupled with the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-competition-for-arctic-resources-2014-6">growing strategic importance</a> of this part of the world, the US Air Force runs the <a href="http://airman.dodlive.mil/2015/02/cool-school-2/">Arctic Survival School</a> out of Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Each year, this five-day intensive training program, also known as Cool School, teaches over 700 servicemembers the survival skills necessary to fight back against nature and survive in the Arctic.&nbsp;</p>
<p id="stcpDiv">“Mother nature does not like you in this situation,” Survival Instructor Staff Sgt. Seth Reab, <a href="http://airman.dodlive.mil/2015/02/cool-school-2/">tells</a> his students in the morning freeze. “She’s violent. She’s harsh. Your job is to survive until help comes; her job is to find a way to take your life.”</p><h3>The Air Force's Cool School, which brings in more than 700 participants every year across all service branches, takes place outside Eielson Air Force Base, deep inside Alaska. Temperatures average about 30 degrees below zero.</h3>
<img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/54d3bd4beab8ea6b508b4567-400-300/the-air-forces-cool-school-which-brings-in-more-than-700-participants-every-year-across-all-service-branches-takes-place-outside-eielson-air-force-base-deep-inside-alaska-temperatures-average-about-30-degrees-below-zero.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>At the start of the course, all participants are given the emergency equipment they would have depending upon what plane they would be flying.</h3>
<img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/54d3bf81ecad041e7159275e-400-300/at-the-start-of-the-course-all-participants-are-given-the-emergency-equipment-they-would-have-depending-upon-what-plane-they-would-be-flying.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>The emergency equipment usually works. But everything else in the Arctic will try to kill the participants. This includes subzero temperatures ...</h3>
<img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/54d3c18feab8ea135f8b4571-400-300/the-emergency-equipment-usually-works-but-everything-else-in-the-arctic-will-try-to-kill-the-participants-this-includes-subzero-temperatures-.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/air-forces-arctic-survival-school-2015-2#-and-even-dehydration-despite-the-abundance-of-snow-it-is-extremely-difficult-to-drink-enough-water-under-harsh-arctic-conditions-4">See the rest of the story at Business Insider</a> http://www.businessinsider.com/an-alaskan-man-walked-46-milesat-35-below-zero-to-see-if-he-could-2015-2An Alaskan man walked 46 miles at 35 below zero to see if he couldhttp://www.businessinsider.com/an-alaskan-man-walked-46-milesat-35-below-zero-to-see-if-he-could-2015-2
Thu, 05 Feb 2015 14:45:00 -0500
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52790644eab8ea285ac16a74-1200-706/screen shot 2013-11-04 at 5.48.23 pm.png" border="0" alt="Barrow, Alaska"></p><p>FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — An Alaska man who attempted to walk 50 miles between two villages at 35 below zero was found in good shape 4 miles from his goal by searchers called by his family.</p>
<p>Lawrence James, 52, wore heavy winter gear and carried water and a .22-caliber rifle. He walked nonstop for 15 hours and told searchers he didn't get cold on the long stroll between Birch Creek and Fort Yukon, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported.</p>
<p>James left Birch Creek at about 7 p.m. Monday and spoke to Fort Yukon Police Officer Michael Ivie on Tuesday when he was found.</p>
<p>"When I asked him why he did it, he said that a cousin of his did it a few years back and he thought he'd try to see if he could do it," Ivie said. "I told him, 'more power to you, buddy,' but that's not something I think I'd want to try."</p>
<p>James' family alerted Alaska State Troopers and village law enforcement in part because he was not completely sober.</p>
<p>"He had been drinking," Ivie said. "Not a whole lot, he wasn't drunk. He had a couple of drinks. He said if he had to do it all over again, he would have probably picked a different time. He said his last drink kind of gave him that urge, that oomph."</p>
<p>The cold temperatures clinched the decision to search, Ivie said.</p>
<p>"Our issue is that it was minus-30 or below, and he was by himself, and he was only carrying a little .22 rifle," Ivie said. "There were all sorts of possibilities that might have happened. He could have been trampled by a moose or (attacked by) wolves."</p>
<p>The rifle would not be effective against a moose or predator, Ivey said, but said James "could have shot a couple of ptarmigans to eat."</p>
<p>James felt fine during his walk, he told Ivie, but acknowledged his legs were hurting after 15 hours.</p>
<p>"That's understandable, he'd just walked 50 miles," Ivie said.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Information from: Fairbanks (Alaska) Daily News-Miner, <a href="http://www.newsminer.com">http://www.newsminer.com</a></p>
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<p>This article was from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.</p>
<p><img class="nc_pixel" src="https://pixel.newscred.com/px.gif?key=YXJ0aWNsZT0wODhhOTVlMWMyNGJjZTIyN2JkOGI0YTZjY2E5NGRiYyZwdWJsaXNoZXI9NzMwZWI4NmFiNTlmMGQ0MTkyNmFjNjViMDFmODNlMmY=" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1"></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/an-alaskan-man-walked-46-milesat-35-below-zero-to-see-if-he-could-2015-2#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/boys-asked-to-hit-a-girl-video-2015-1">What Happened When A Bunch Of Young Boys Were Told To Hit A Girl</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/the-us-and-canada-are-in-a-standoff-over-a-sea-highway-2015-1The US And Canada Are In A Standoff Over A Sea Highwayhttp://www.businessinsider.com/the-us-and-canada-are-in-a-standoff-over-a-sea-highway-2015-1
Tue, 27 Jan 2015 10:42:41 -0500The Economist
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><img style="float:right;" src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/54c79d8aecad046859365363-600-/20150124_amm981.png" border="0" alt="Canada US Sea highway " width="600">The United States' Alaska Marine Highway is not really a highway. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">It is a 3,500-mile (5,600km) chain of ports from Alaska's Aleutian Islands to Bellingham, in Washington state. Some 310,000 passengers, many of them tourists, make at least part of the ferry journey every year. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">It was created to link Alaska's coastal communities to each other and to the lower 48 states, but a bit of it sits on Canadian soil, at Prince Rupert, British Columbia. From this dual-national identity, a trade spat has sprung.</span></p>
<p>The state of Alaska first leased the terminal in 1963, and in 2013 paid the Canadians $3.3m for another 50 years. But now a row has broken out between Canada and the United States over who will win contracts to replace the terminal's run-down moorings, bridges and vehicle ramp. No one disputes that the port is Canadian, but does American law apply?</p>
<p>The state of Alaska, which administers the highway, had planned to award the contract for the $10m-20m project to a British Columbian firm. Hiring anyone else in that remote corner of the country makes little sense. But under the provisions of the United States' "Buy America" law, the contractors must use steel and other materials from suppliers that employ Americans. And that has thrown an American-made spanner (ie, wrench) into the works.</p>
<p>The mercantilist rule helps nobody. Hauling the steel up to Prince Rupert and paying for it with strong American dollars will make the project more expensive for the United States' Federal Highway Administration, which is footing most of the bill. Canadian firms are seething at the loss of potential business. "We're not advocating a Buy Canada policy, but we want to be able to compete", says Ron Watkins of the Canadian Steel Producers Association.</p>
<p><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/54c7b1d569bedd2a6987fe22-760-380/alaska-marine-highway-system-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Alaska Marine Highway System" width="800"></p>
<p>The Buy America legislation, a provision of a 1982 law governing federal spending on transport projects, prompted firms such as Germany's Siemens and France's Alstom to set up production in the United States. When the North American Free-Trade Agreement eliminated most barriers in 1994, Buy America was allowed to stand. It is one of the few things on which Democrats, Republicans and trade unions agree, so it is unlikely to go away.</p>
<p>Alaska's governor, Bill Walker, has the power to waive the act's provisions for the rebuilding of the terminal. He decided not to use it. Canada reacted sharply. On January 19th its government invoked a seldom-used sanctions law to bar any company working on the project from complying with the requirement to use American steel.</p>
<p>The "application of protectionist Buy America provisions on Canadian soil is unacceptable and an affront to Canadian sovereignty," fumed the trade minister, Ed Fast. So now contractors may not rebuild Prince Rupert either if they do accede to Buy America, or if they don't. Alaska has put the project on hold "for the time being". There is no telling which ferry will swerve first.</p>
<p>Click <a href="https://subscriptions.economist.com/nwcd">here</a> to subscribe to The Economist.</p>
<p>This article was from The Economist and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-us-and-canada-are-in-a-standoff-over-a-sea-highway-2015-1#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/jaw-dropping-photos-of-us-coast-guard-alaska-2015-121 Jaw-Dropping Photos Of The US Coast Guard In Alaskahttp://www.businessinsider.com/jaw-dropping-photos-of-us-coast-guard-alaska-2015-1
Thu, 15 Jan 2015 14:09:00 -0500Jeremy Bender
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/54b7e9546bb3f71c12bd40e9-1200-924/13956708542_dc304bd979_h.jpg" border="0" alt="US Coast Guard Alaska" style="font-size: 15px;"></p><p></p>
<p>Alaska is the final frontier of the US.</p>
<p>Sparsely populated, disconnected from the contiguous states, subjected to a harsh Arctic climate, and almost unimaginably vast, the mere mention of Alaska conjures images of forbidding wilderness. But it's in these conditions that the US Coast Guard in Alaska must operate.</p>
<p>Dedicated to patrolling Alaska's territorial waters, coming to the aid of damaged vessels, breaking through the routine sea ice blocking ports, and carrying out scientific studies, the Coast Guard has its work cut out.&nbsp;</p><h3>The Coast Guard in Alaska operates in some of the most isolated parts of the US. Here, a Coast Guard vessel gets underway in their winter Bering Sea patrol.</h3>
<img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/54b7e7ac6da8117f6ed0360a-400-300/the-coast-guard-in-alaska-operates-in-some-of-the-most-isolated-parts-of-the-us-here-a-coast-guard-vessel-gets-underway-in-their-winter-bering-sea-patrol.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>In this photo a Coast Guard vessel docks at Little Diomede Island in the middle of the Bering Strait. The island has a population of 135.</h3>
<img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/54b80bc0ecad043560ce6457-400-300/in-this-photo-a-coast-guard-vessel-docks-at-little-diomede-island-in-the-middle-of-the-bering-strait-the-island-has-a-population-of-135.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>The Alaskan wilderness offers thousands of square miles of unspoiled natural beauty. Here, a Coast Guard ship makes port call at Kodiak.</h3>
<img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/54b80bfd6bb3f7c61dbd40ec-400-300/the-alaskan-wilderness-offers-thousands-of-square-miles-of-unspoiled-natural-beauty-here-a-coast-guard-ship-makes-port-call-at-kodiak.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jaw-dropping-photos-of-us-coast-guard-alaska-2015-1#before-taking-part-in-operations-coast-guard-service-members-must-receive-substantial-training-such-as-how-to-rescue-people-from-icy-waters-4">See the rest of the story at Business Insider</a> http://www.businessinsider.com/incredible-army-photos-from-2014-2015-1These Are The Most Incredible Photos The US Army Took In 2014http://www.businessinsider.com/incredible-army-photos-from-2014-2015-1
Thu, 08 Jan 2015 14:03:00 -0500Jeremy Bender
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/54ad6c726da811f50fc7df79-1200-924/us-army-parachute-team.jpg" border="0" alt="US Army Parachute Team"></p><p>The past year has been a busy time for the US Army.&nbsp;</p>
<p>US soldiers remained engaged in operations against the Taliban in Afghanistan and took the lead in multi-national training exercises throughout the world.<span>&nbsp;Army veterans received high honors during a memorial to the 70th anniversary of the Normandy Invasion, while one Afghanistan veteran received the Medal of Honor.&nbsp;</span>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The Army <a href="http://www.army.mil/yearinphotos/2014/">compiled</a> a year in photos to show what they were doing 2014.</p>
<p>These are some of the most amazing photographs of the Army from the past year.</p><h3>In March, members of the US Army Parachute Team conducted their annual certification test.</h3>
<img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/54ad62baeab8ea6939aff2ca-400-300/in-march-members-of-the-us-army-parachute-team-conducted-their-annual-certification-test.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>The past year saw the first instance of the Spartan Brigade, an airborne combat team, training north of the Arctic Circle. Here, paratroopers move to their assembly area after jumping into Deadhorse, Alaska. </h3>
<img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/54ad62776da811e35ec7df74-400-300/the-past-year-saw-the-first-instance-of-the-spartan-brigade-an-airborne-combat-team-training-north-of-the-arctic-circle-here-paratroopers-move-to-their-assembly-area-after-jumping-into-deadhorse-alaska.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>Elsewhere, in Alaska's Denali National Park, the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, hiked across Summit Ridge on Mount McKinley to demonstrate their Arctic abilities.</h3>
<img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/54ad64a4ecad04be222702b3-400-300/elsewhere-in-alaskas-denali-national-park-the-4th-infantry-brigade-combat-team-airborne-25th-infantry-division-hiked-across-summit-ridge-on-mount-mckinley-to-demonstrate-their-arctic-abilities.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/incredible-army-photos-from-2014-2015-1#beyond-the-frozen-north-the-army-took-part-in-training-exercises-around-the-world-in-germany-members-of-charlie-company-trained-kosovo-authorities-in-how-to-respond-to-firebombs-and-other-incendiary-devices-4">See the rest of the story at Business Insider</a> http://www.businessinsider.com/r-early-slowdown-signs-emerge-for-us-oil-states-after-crude-slide-2014-12Top US Oil States Are Taking A Hit From Plunging Crude Priceshttp://www.businessinsider.com/r-early-slowdown-signs-emerge-for-us-oil-states-after-crude-slide-2014-12
Mon, 15 Dec 2014 03:01:21 -0500Tim Reid
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/548e7c8e5afbd3c6738b4569-450-300/early-slowdown-signs-emerge-for-us-oil-states-after-crude-slide.jpg" border="0" alt="A man works on the rig of an oil drilling pump site in McKenzie County outside of Williston, North Dakota March 12, 2013. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton"></p><p></p>
<p>(Reuters) - After leading the U.S. economic recovery out of recession, some of the nation's top oil states are showing early signs of a slowdown as a result of the plunge in crude prices.</p>
<p>In Houston, Texas, the first oil industry layoffs have been announced, with realtors there predicting a sharp decline, up to 12 percent, in home sales next year.</p>
<p>Alaska's 2015 fiscal year budget revenue forecast will have to be lowered by almost $2 billion, according to Fitch Ratings, because of the sharp drop in the state's forecast crude prices. That will widen Alaska's budget gap to almost $3.4 billion, Fitch said in a Dec. 11 report.</p>
<p>States such as Texas, North Dakota, Alaska, Oklahoma and New Mexico are all likely to feel strains next year, Wells Fargo Securities municipal analyst Roy Eappen said in a recent report.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, household sentiment in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Arkansas where memories of the catastrophic 1980s oil crash are still fresh, weakened in October more than any other region, according to a report by Decision Analyst Inc. The Texas-based research company surveys monthly thousands of homeowners in the Census Bureau's nine regional divisions.</p>
<p>The West South Central division, comprising those four states, had seen the strongest growth for four years, but in October survey lagged the rest of the nation, with economic gauges improving in six regions and two recording no change.</p>
<p>"The fact that the economic index is in decline in this region signals that the economy in these oil states is heading for an economic slowdown," said Jerry Thomas, president of Decision Analyst.</p>
<p>Responding to a more than 40 percent drop in crude prices since June, at least a dozen U.S. energy companies have cut spending plans for next year - bad news for states that rely on jobs, wealth and tax income they provide.</p>
<p>As a result, while most states expect a tailwind from cheaper oil and its boost to consumption, it is the oil states' turn to act as a drag on the nation's overall economic growth.</p>
<p><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/548e94b7ecad04943fd99e54-1200-924/alaska-oil-drilling-3.jpg" border="0" alt="alaska oil drilling"></p>
<h3>GROWTH DRAG</h3>
<p>Thanks to the shale oil boom North Dakota's economy grew by a fifth in 2012 and almost 10 percent last year. Texas economy expanded by nearly 7 percent in 2012 and 3.7 percent in 2013 compared with nationwide rates of 2.5 percent and 1.8 percent, respectively. That is about to change.</p>
<p>In a sign of things to come, Houston-based Hercules Offshore Inc &lt;hero.o&gt; recently notified the authorities of planned "mass layoffs." In an Oct. 30 letter, a copy of which has been obtained by Reuters, the company said it would be permanently laying off 324 workers in its Gulf of Mexico operations due to the anticipated closure of four rigs. According to company filings, it has 2,200 employees.</p>
<p>Hercules Offshore did not respond to a request for comment.</p>
<p>The number of well permits fell almost 40 percent nationwide in November, according to industry data firm Drilling Info Inc., which means fewer jobs and less related business.</p>
<p>Bud Weinstein, an energy economist at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, said the downturn in production will affect related industries such as transportation, cement, metal parts and food suppliers.</p>
<p>For example, it takes up to 2,000 truck trips to build one new well, Weinstein said.</p>
<p>An informal tally by Reuters of announced plans for U.S. drilling rig operations shows at least seven firms plan to cut the number of rigs they operate now by a total of more than 50 in 2015, with each rig estimated to employ 50-60 workers.</p>
<p>Another concern is dwindling sources of funding that would help companies ride out the downturn. Prices of some of the junk-rated bonds that helped energy companies finance their expansion during boom years have been tumbling and banks in oil-producing regions are expected to curb lending to the energy sector.</p>
<p>Russell Evans, an Oklahoma City University economist, said the 1982 oil crash has left deep scars in Oklahoma where oil and gas industry accounts for about 20 percent of all jobs and two-thirds of those created since 2008.</p>
<p>Evans expects Oklahoma to weather the current price slide better because of a strong long-term outlook for the industry, but the history of booms and busts keeps many on edge.</p>
<p>"There is a fair amount of anxiety here," he said.</p>
<p>For Karr Ingham, whose firm Ingham Economic Reporting monitors rig counts, permits and the oil economy in Texas, there is no doubt that hard times are just round the corner.</p>
<p>"A slowdown is coming, period. It's just a matter of time."</p>
<p>(Reporting by Tim Reid in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Edward McCallister in New York; Editing by Dan Burns and Tomasz Janowski)</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-early-slowdown-signs-emerge-for-us-oil-states-after-crude-slide-2014-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/volcanic-eruption-in-alaska-2014-11NASA Captured Incredible Images Of A Huge Volcanic Eruption In Alaska http://www.businessinsider.com/volcanic-eruption-in-alaska-2014-11
Tue, 18 Nov 2014 14:23:00 -0500NASA Earth Observatory
<p><img class="full" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/546b8da1ecad042e4736ca02-1200-800/pavlof_oli_2014319_lrg.jpg" border="0" alt="volcano eruption"></p><p></p>
<p>In November 2014, Alaska’s most active volcano rumbled back to life. The Alaska Volcano Observatory <a href="http://www.avo.alaska.edu/activity/report_getter.php?need=current&amp;id=61991&amp;type=3">first reported</a> increased seismic activity and minor ash eruptions at <a href="http://www.volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=312030">Pavlof</a> on November 12, 2014. In the following days, lava fountains gushed from a vent north of the summit, and volcanic debris tumbled down the glacier-covered stratovolcano’s north flank.</p>
<p>By November 15, Pavlof was lofting ash plumes to an altitude of 30,000 feet (9 kilometers), high enough to disrupt commercial airline flights. Seismic activity and ash eruptions diminished abruptly on the evening of November 16, but the Alaska Volcano Observatory cautioned that pauses of days to weeks are common during Pavlof’s eruptions. The volcano could spew ash again with little warning.</p>
<p><img class="full" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/546b8ddf6bb3f7452c300546-1200-924/pavlof_amo_2014319_lrg.jpg" border="0" alt="volcano"></p>
<p>This natural-color satellite image, acquired by the <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/landsat/main/LDCM_OLI_intro.html">Operational Land Imager</a> (OLI) on the Landsat 8 satellite, shows Pavlof’s volcanic plume well above the cloud deck on November 15, 2014. On the same day, the <a href="http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/about/">Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer</a> (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured a broader view of the plume.</p>
<p>Pavlof’s most recent significant eruption occurred in <a href="http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=81190">May 2013.</a></p>
<p>NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen, using Landsat data from the <a href="http://glovis.usgs.gov/">U.S. Geological Survey</a> and <a href="http://lance-modis.eosdis.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/imagery/single.cgi?image=Alaska.A2014319.2300.1km.jpg">MODIS</a> data from <a href="https://earthdata.nasa.gov/data/near-real-time-data/rapid-response">LANCE MODIS Rapid Response Team.</a> Caption by Adam Voiland.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/icelandic-bardarbunga-volcano-erupts-2014-8" >Icelandic Volcano Erupts</a></strong></p>
<p><strong>READ MORE: &nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/erupting-volcano-seen-from-space-2014-10" >This Amazing Animation Shows An Erupting Volcano From Space </a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/volcanic-eruption-in-alaska-2014-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/keystone-xl-pipeline-congress-2014-11The Keystone XL Pipeline Just Made It Through The House, But The Battle Is Far From Wonhttp://www.businessinsider.com/keystone-xl-pipeline-congress-2014-11
Fri, 14 Nov 2014 14:52:00 -0500Timothy Gardner
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/54665d4d6da8110f6e13e6ea-621-465/keystone-pipeline-map-2.png" border="0" alt="Keystone Pipeline Map"></p><p>The Republican-led&nbsp;US House of Representatives&nbsp;approved the&nbsp;Keystone XL pipeline&nbsp;on Friday, but a similar measure struggled to get enough support in the&nbsp;Senate&nbsp;and President&nbsp;Barack Obama&nbsp;indicated he might use his veto if the bill does get through&nbsp;Congress.</p>
<p>The legislation, approved by 252 votes to 161, circumvents the need for approval of TransCanada Corp's $8 billion project by the&nbsp;Obama administration, which has been considering it for more than six years.</p>
<p>House lawmakers were confident the&nbsp;Senate&nbsp;would follow suit and pass its version of the bill.</p>
<p>The bill's sponsor, Republican Representative&nbsp;Bill Cassidy&nbsp;from&nbsp;Louisiana, said before the vote the House would make it "as easy as possible for the&nbsp;Senate&nbsp;to finally get a bill to the president's desk that approves this long-overdue&nbsp;Keystone XL pipeline."</p>
<p>Approval for the pipeline, which would help transport oil from&nbsp;Canada's oil sands to the&nbsp;US Gulf coast&nbsp;energy hub, has rested with the administration as it crosses an international border.</p>
<p>The decision has been pending amid jousting between proponents of the pipeline who say it would create thousands of construction jobs and environmentalists who say it would increase carbon emissions linked to climate change.</p>
<p>Passage of the companion bill was not assured in the&nbsp;Senate, which is expected to take up the measure next Tuesday. Supporters were still one vote shy of the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster, a blocking procedure, an aide to a Keystone supporter said on Friday. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity.</p>
<p>Speaking at a news conference in Myanmar on Friday, Obama said his position on the 800,000 barrels per day pipeline had not changed.</p>
<p>Obama, who has raised doubts about how many jobs the pipeline would create and said he does not want to interfere with&nbsp;the State Department review&nbsp;of the issue, cited pending legal action in&nbsp;Nebraska&nbsp;and said it was hard to evaluate the pipeline proposal until the actual route was known.</p>
<p>The&nbsp;White House&nbsp;has not made clear whether Obama would use his veto to block the legislation currently before Congress, but he has threatened to use that power in the past.</p>
<p>The congressional bills have highlighted both the importance of the pipeline to&nbsp;Louisiana, whose economy is heavily oil-dependent, and the fact that Obama cannot count on full support from members of his&nbsp;Democratic Party&nbsp;on some issues.</p>
<p>Democratic Senator&nbsp;Mary Landrieu, the head of her chamber's energy committee, is co-sponsoring the Keystone bill in the&nbsp;Senate&nbsp;with Republican&nbsp;John Hoeven&nbsp;of&nbsp;North Dakota. She is battling to retain her&nbsp;Senate&nbsp;seat in a runoff election against Cassidy on Dec. 6, after last week's midterm elections.</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/keystone-xl-pipeline-congress-2014-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/senators-explosive-reaction-to-the-gop-landslide-2014-11Listen To One Senator's Explosive Reaction To The Republican Landslide http://www.businessinsider.com/senators-explosive-reaction-to-the-gop-landslide-2014-11
Thu, 06 Nov 2014 17:20:00 -0500Colin Campbell
<p>Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) was unquestionably thrilled when her party dominated in Tuesday's elections.</p>
<p>Murkowski, who is in line to become the next chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources due to the Republican landslide, <a href="http://www.npr.org/2014/11/06/361896179/republican-sweep-highlights-climate-change-politics-in-alaska">reportedly</a> lifted up a chair over her head and yelled a pun about her new leadership position.</p>
<p>"I am the chairmaaaaaaaaaaan!" she screamed in the hotel ballroom where an election night party was being held.</p>
<p>Listen below, <a href="http://www.npr.org/2014/11/06/361896179/republican-sweep-highlights-climate-change-politics-in-alaska">audio via NPR</a>:</p>
<p><iframe width="100%" height="450" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/175696261&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;visual=true"></iframe></p>
<p>Nat Herz, an Alaska Dispatch News reporter, <a href="https://twitter.com/Nat_Herz/status/530477595356573696">also shared</a> a photo of the occasion:</p>
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<p class="embed-spacer"></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/senators-explosive-reaction-to-the-gop-landslide-2014-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/minimum-wage-increases-2014-114 States Voted To Raise The Minimum Wagehttp://www.businessinsider.com/minimum-wage-increases-2014-11
Wed, 05 Nov 2014 11:10:00 -0500Sarah Schmalbruch
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/545a5a0469bedd94654f6e43-600-/fast-food-workers-strikeedit.jpg" border="0" alt="Fast Food Workers Strike_Edit" width="600"></p><p>Looks like the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour just isn't cutting it in Alaska, Arkansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota.</p>
<p>In all four of these states, a majority of voters voted yes on Tuesday to an initiative to raise the current minimum wage.</p>
<p>While <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/democrats-are-hoping-minimum-wage-will-save-the-senate-for-them-2014-10">Democrats</a> have been fighting for an increase across the country, Republicans in Congress have historically opposed a higher minimum wage.</p>
<p>However, <a href="http://www.governing.com/topics/elections/Red-States-to-Vote-on-Minimum-Wage.html">polls</a> taken earlier this year in all four of these red-leaning states showed strong support for an increase.</p>
<p>Turns out the polls were right. <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/in-plain-sight/minimum-wage-hikes-where-voters-gave-themselves-raise-n241616">NBC News</a> provides a comprehensive breakdown of the voting results and how many workers it will affect.</p>
<p>Here's just how much the initiatives will increase minimum wage per hour in each state:</p>
<ul>
<li>Alaska: from $7.75 to $9.75 by 2016</li>
<li>Arkansas: from $6.25 to $8.50 by 2017</li>
<li>Nebraska: from $7.25 to $9 by 2o16</li>
<li>South Dakota: from $7.25 to $8.50 by 2015</li>
</ul>
<p>The initiatives in Alaska and South Dakota will also use an inflation index, meaning that the wage floor will rise according to the cost of living.</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 22.5px;">These four states will now join many others in raising their minimum wage over the $7.25 set by Congress.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/america.htm">Twenty-three states</a> (including D.C.) have their minimum wage currently set higher than the federal level. In January, the number will jump to 25 with the addition of <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/01/minimum-wage-election_n_6084462.html">Hawaii and Maryland</a>.</p>
<p>Alaska, Arkansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota will bring the total to 29 states. That's close to two-thirds of the country with a minimum wage higher than the federal level.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-how-much-income-puts-you-in-the-top-one-percent-of-your-age-group-2014-11" >Here's How Much Income Puts You In The Top One Percent Of Your Age Group </a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/minimum-wage-increases-2014-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/a-cat-mayor-just-announced-his-campaign-for-senate-in-alaska-2014-11A Cat Mayor Just 'Announced' His Campaign For Senate In Alaskahttp://www.businessinsider.com/a-cat-mayor-just-announced-his-campaign-for-senate-in-alaska-2014-11
Tue, 04 Nov 2014 15:34:00 -0500Colin Campbell
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/54592dc5ecad04b61a8b4567-600-/stubbs-1.jpg" border="0" alt="stubbs" width="600"></p><p>Stubbs the Cat, the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/meet-mayor-stubbs-the-cat-mayor-of-an-alaskan-town-2012-7">honorary mayor</a> of a small Alaskan city, apparently wants to shake up the state's highly competitive Senate race.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://twitter.com/Nat_Herz/status/529718010693419008">an Election Day press release</a> "announcing" the last-minute campaign, people purporting to represent the cat urged Alaskans to write in Stubbs' name as a protest vote against the mainstream candidates.</p>
<p>"When asked if this was just a hairball idea or if he was truly serious, Stubbs replied, 'I don’t believe my personal hygiene is any of your business,'" the press release said.</p>
<p>Stubbs is <a href="http://online.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304500404579127644142609328">actually said to be</a> mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska, which has a population of less than 1,000. Last year Stubbs drew <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/04/us/alaska-cat-mayor-attacked/">national headlines</a> when he was mauled by a dog. The press release touting his candidacy on Tuesday referenced this attack in order to stress the cat's ability to relate to everyday Alaskans.</p>
<p>"And Stubbs stands up for the issues that matter: As the survivor of a brutal assault, Stubbs knows what it's like to fear for his life. So Stubbs is a staunch advocate of Alaskans’ Second Amendment rights," the statement said.</p>
<p>The campaign also released a video decrying both Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) and his GOP rival, Dan Sullivan, for their alleged connections to special interests:</p>
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/5n8ktRZKJMM"></iframe></p>
<p>However, it appears unlikely Stubbs is personally invested in the electoral effort. His <a href="https://www.facebook.com/stubbsmayorcat">Facebook page</a> makes no mention of the political campaign and a worker at the Nagley's General Store, which Talkeetna's mayor calls home, told Business Insider she wasn't aware Stubbs decided to mount a Senate campaign.</p>
<p>"I haven't heard anything about that, so I imagine it's probably people doing their own thing," she said.</p>
<p>The "Stubbs for US Senate" campaign did not immediately return a request for comment asking whether it was actually associated with the cat.</p>
<p>Begich and Sullivan are locked in one of the most contentious Senate races in the country. According <a href="http://www.city-data.com/city/Talkeetna-Alaska.html">to City-Data.com</a>, Talkeetna is a Republican stronghold, with Sen. John McCain taking about 75% of the vote in the 2008 presidential election.</p>
<p><strong>Update (6:14 p.m.):</strong> <em>A campaign spokesperson claiming to be named "<span style="color: #000000;">Polly Purebred" issued this statement to Business Insider: "</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The campaign is by Alaskans for Alaskans who've realized that Stubbs is the best Catidate for the job. Stubbs was elected mayor in 1997 and recently retired in preparation to run for US senate as he realized that Alaskans needed a resounding voice, even if its in the form of a meow."</span></em></p>
<div><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;">(</span><a href="https://twitter.com/Nat_Herz/status/529718010693419008">h/t Nat Herz)</a></div><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/a-cat-mayor-just-announced-his-campaign-for-senate-in-alaska-2014-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/columbia-glacier-28-years-of-global-warming-2014-11Watch A Glacier Before And After 28 Years Of Warminghttp://www.businessinsider.com/columbia-glacier-28-years-of-global-warming-2014-11
Mon, 03 Nov 2014 12:05:00 -0500NASA Earth Observatory
<p>Scientists have long studied Alaska's fast-moving Columbia Glacier, a <a href="http://nsidc.org/cryosphere/glossary?keyword=tidewater&amp;Search=Search">tidewater glacier</a> that descends through the Chugach Mountains into Prince William Sound. Yet the river of ice continues to deliver new surprises.</p>
<p>When British explorers first surveyed the glacier in 1794, its nose extended to the northern edge of Heather Island, near the mouth of Columbia Bay. The glacier held that position until 1980, when it began a rapid retreat.</p>
<p><img class="full" src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/5457a7266bb3f7e539a1a6b9-1200-706/nasa_glacier_1.jpg" border="0" alt="NASA_Glacier_1"><img class="full" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/5457a7b169beddce08a1a6bf-1200-706/nasa_glacier_2.jpg" border="0" alt="NASA_Glacier_2">The <a href="http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/WorldOfChange/columbia_glacier.php">image series</a> begins in July 1986 (bottom image) with a false-color image captured by the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor on the Landsat 5 satellite. The false-color image from July 2014 (top image), acquired by the&nbsp;<a href="http://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/?p=5447">Operational Land Imager</a> on the <a href="http://landsat.usgs.gov/">Landsat 8</a> satellite, shows the extent of retreat after 28 years.</p>
<p>Here's a GIF of the image comparison tool (<a href="http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=84630&amp;src=eorss-iotd">here on NASA Earth Observatory's original post</a>) to better see the details.</p>
<p><img class="full" src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/5457aefb69bedd1428a1a6c0/nasa_glacier_3.gif" border="0" alt="NASA_Glacier_3">Recent changes to the glacier include the unexpected retreat of the West Branch. Scientists such as <a href="http://alaska.usgs.gov/staff/staffbio.php?employeeid=341">Shad O'Neel</a>, a U.S. Geological Survey glaciologist at the <a href="http://alaska.usgs.gov/">Alaska Science Center</a>, thought the branch had stabilized by <a href="http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/WorldOfChange/images/columbia_glacier/20110530_lrg.jpg">2011</a>. "We thought that one was pretty much done," O'Neel said. "Obviously we were wrong."</p>
<p>Columbia Glacier expert <a href="http://instaar.colorado.edu/people/w-tad-pfeffer/">Tad Pfeffer</a> of the <a href="http://www.colorado.edu/">University of Colorado, Boulder</a>, was equally surprised. The ground below a glacier — the bed — plays an important role in determining how much a glacier will retreat. It turns out, however, that it's not so easy to measure the elevation of the bed. The best information available to scientists had suggested that the bed of the West Branch rose above sea level immediately upstream from the nose, or terminus, which would have slowed the retreat of the branch.</p>
<p>"That's clearly wrong given that the terminus is now 3 kilometers back from its previously 'stable' point," Pfeffer said. "Why it hung in its advanced position for so long and why it started retreating is a mystery."</p>
<p>To better characterize recent changes to the Columbia Glacier, <a href="http://unh.edu/unhtoday/2014/08/glacial-race">Ryan Casotto</a>(<a href="http://unh.edu/unhtoday/">University of New Hampshire</a>) and colleagues used ground-based radar to measure the glacier's speed every three minutes for eight days in early October 2014. Preliminary results show that both the West Branch and the East Branch (which feeds into the Main Branch) are now moving between 5 and 10 meters (16 and 33 feet) per day. That's slow for Columbia, but fast compared to other glaciers.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the area of the Main Branch hasn't changed much since 2012, but this part of the glacier is changing in other ways. The October 2014 field research found a connection between the motion of the Main Branch and the region's tides.</p>
<p>"That tells me that the glacier has thinned so much now and has very little traction against the bed, so that even the up and down tidal motion changes how the glacier is flowing," O'Neel said.</p>
<p>The tides are affecting the glacier as much as 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) upstream. The tidal effect only dissipates where the glacier bed rises above sea level and the ice-ocean connection is lost.</p>
<p>"This behavior makes us think that the Main Branch is once again unstable and possibly due for an episode of very rapid terminus retreat," Pfeffer said. "It's hard to say how soon or likely that retreat is, however, and we've been surprised before."</p>
<p><strong>References and Related Reading</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>glacierresearch.org (2014) <a href="http://www.glacierresearch.com/locations/columbia/realtime-images.html">Columbia Glacier Real-time Images.</a> Accessed October 30, 2014.</li>
<li>NASA Earth Observatory <a href="http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/WorldOfChange/columbia_glacier.php">World of Change: Columbia Glacier, Alaska.</a> Accessed October 30, 2014.</li>
<li>Pfeffer, W. Tad (2007, January) <a href="http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0875907296.html">The Opening of a New Landscape: Columbia Glacier at Mid-Retreat.</a> Accessed October 30, 2014.</li>
</ul>
<p>NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen, using Landsat data from the <a href="http://glovis.usgs.gov/">U.S. Geological Survey.</a> Caption by Kathryn Hansen.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/climate-change-before-and-after-pictures-of-earth-2014-2" >Pictures Show How Climate Change Is Destroying The Earth</a></strong></p>
<p><strong>BEFORE AND AFTER: &nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/before-and-after-pictures-of-glaciers-melting-2014-5" >Photos Show How Climate Change Is Already Melting The World's Glaciers</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/columbia-glacier-28-years-of-global-warming-2014-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/iditarod-dog-sled-race-photographer-2014-10Striking Photos From The Iditarod Show Just How Gnarly Alaska's Legendary Sled Dog Race Can Behttp://www.businessinsider.com/iditarod-dog-sled-race-photographer-2014-10
Sat, 25 Oct 2014 11:45:00 -0400Christian Storm
<h2><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/iditarod-dog-sled-race-photographer-2014-10#">See the race»</a></h2><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/iditarod-dog-sled-race-photographer-2014-10#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/don-young-high-school-bull-sex-and-suicide-2014-10REPORT: Alaska's Congressman Came Into A High School And Discussed Bull Sex And Suicidehttp://www.businessinsider.com/don-young-high-school-bull-sex-and-suicide-2014-10
Wed, 22 Oct 2014 09:25:58 -0400Colin Campbell
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/5447aa0769bedd00636bb895-600-/ap373065100998-3.jpg" alt="AP373065100998" border="0" width="600"></p><p>Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) rattled high school students Tuesday morning with "<span class="updated">disrespectful and sometimes offensive</span>" talk of bull sex and suicide, <a href="http://www.adn.com/article/20141021/young-rattles-wasilla-high-students-hurtful-remark-about-suicide">according to a report</a> in the Alaska Dispatch News.</p>
<p>When one student asked Young about same-sex marriage, Young replied, "<span class="updated">You can’t have marriage with two men. What do you get with two bulls?"</span></p>
<p><span class="updated">Young then "</span>said something about a lot of 'bullshazzle' or some word resembling the more familiar obscenity," the report said.</p>
<p>But more shocking to the witnesses was Young's "<span class="updated">hurtful and insensitive</span>" comments about suicide just days after a student took his own life. According to those present, Young blamed suicide on the lack of support from friends and family.</p>
<p>A friend of the suicide victim reportedly shouted at Young, "<span class="updated">He had friends.&nbsp;He had support. ... <span class="updated">It's depression — you know, a mental illness</span>."</span></p>
<p><span class="updated">"Well, what, do you just go to the doctor and get diagnosed with suicide?" replied Young, using the word&nbsp; <span class="updated">"asshole" or "smartass" at some point in the exchange.</span></span></p>
<p><span class="updated"><span class="updated">On the way out, Young told the principal, "<span class="updated">That boy needs to learn some respect." </span><br></span></span></p>
<p><span class="updated"><span class="updated"><span class="updated">After the event, Young's office told the Alaska Dispatch that the congressman "should have taken a much more sensitive approach" when discussing the issue of suicide.<br></span></span></span></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/don-young-high-school-bull-sex-and-suicide-2014-10#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/iditarod-dog-sled-race-photographer-2014-10Meet The Photographer Who Has Shot Alaska's Iditarod Sled Dog Race For 34 Years Straighthttp://www.businessinsider.com/iditarod-dog-sled-race-photographer-2014-10
Wed, 15 Oct 2014 16:45:00 -0400Christian Storm
<p style="float:right;"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/543d77976da8115f369f1590-1200-800/130314-2d8113.jpg" border="0" alt="Iditarod"></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Photographer </span><a href="http://www.schultzphoto.com/">Jeff Schultz</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> has always loved adventure.&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">In 1978, he moved from California's Bay Area to Alaska with dreams of log cabins and self-sufficient living. Since then, he has traveled and photographed all over the state, seeking thrills and great images.</span></p>
<p>And there's no Alaskan event more thrilling than the Annual <a href="http://www.iditarod.com">Iditarod Race</a>, which pits dog sled racers, known as "mushers," and teams of 16 sled dogs against each other in a slog across more than 1,100 frozen miles of Alaskan wilderness.</p>
<p>Schultz began photographing the event in 1981 and become the Iditarod's official photographer in 1982. He has taken over 50,000 images of every musher, checkpoint, and weather condition imaginable. Next year will be Schultz's 35th time covering the event, and he is releasing a book, titled "<a href="http://www.schultzphoto.com/iditarod/http://www.iditarodphotos.com/chasingdogs.html">Chasing Dogs: My Adventures As The Official Photographer Of Alaska's Iditarod</a>," which includes&nbsp;<span>many of his race photos, as well as stories from the trail.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p>We asked him to share with us some photos and insight into the legendary race. More can be seen at his extensive <a href="http://www.iditarodphotos.com/">photo website</a>.</p><h3>Jeff Schultz has been photographing the Iditarod since 1981. He had moved to Alaska three years earlier "seeking adventure," he tells Business Insider.</h3>
<img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/543d7795ecad04764a8e961c-400-300/jeff-schultz-has-been-photographing-the-iditarod-since-1981-he-had-moved-to-alaska-three-years-earlier-seeking-adventure-he-tells-business-insider.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>Schultz first began shooting the race after he took the portrait of Joe Redington Sr., known as the "Father of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race," who helped found the first Iditarod in 1967.</h3>
<img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/543d7796ecad04e0458e962a-400-300/schultz-first-began-shooting-the-race-after-he-took-the-portrait-of-joe-redington-sr-known-as-the-father-of-the-iditarod-trail-sled-dog-race-who-helped-found-the-first-iditarod-in-1967.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>At first, Schultz knew very little about the Iditarod. "I had no idea where the trail really was and how the mushers navigated the trail or how the trail was put in," he says.</h3>
<img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/543d779769beddcc61c72109-400-300/at-first-schultz-knew-very-little-about-the-iditarod-i-had-no-idea-where-the-trail-really-was-and-how-the-mushers-navigated-the-trail-or-how-the-trail-was-put-in-he-says.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/iditarod-dog-sled-race-photographer-2014-10#the-first-year-schultz-photographed-the-race-spending-his-own-money-which-would-only-pay-for-enough-gas-to-shoot-half-of-the-course-later-he-donated-the-photographs-to-the-iditarod-annual-a-yearly-publication-chronicling-the-race-the-iditarod-committee-liked-his-work-and-asked-him-to-be-one-of-their-official-photographers-i-said-yes-and-weve-been-working-on-that-same-deal-since-he-explained-4">See the rest of the story at Business Insider</a> http://www.businessinsider.com/alaska-gay-marriage-ban-struck-down-unconstitutional-same-sex-2014-10Alaska's 16-Year-Old Gay Marriage Ban Just Got Buriedhttp://www.businessinsider.com/alaska-gay-marriage-ban-struck-down-unconstitutional-same-sex-2014-10
Sun, 12 Oct 2014 19:43:00 -0400Matt Johnston
<p><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/521e596fecad04bb33e8643d-1200-858/rtx117kr.jpg" border="0" alt="gay marriage"></p><p>The state of Alaska's ban on same-sex marriage hit a major snag on Sunday. A U.S. Federal judge ruled that it's unconstitutional.</p>
<p>Alaska's ban has been in place for 16 years. Judge Timothy Burgess of the U.S. District Court of Alaska made the ruling. He heard oral arguments on Friday.</p>
<p>“The Court finds that&nbsp;<a class="cite">Alaska</a>’s ban on same-sex marriage and refusal to recognize same-sex marriages lawfully entered in other states is unconstitutional as a deprivation of basic due process and equal protection principles under the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution,” Burgess wrote.</p>
<p>Adding to his ruling, the judge also barred Alaska from refusing to acknowledge legal same-sex marriages that happened in other states.</p>
<p>Five couples, four of whom already had legally married in other states and a fifth wishing to marry in&nbsp;<a class="cite">Alaska</a>, filed their suit against the state in May challenging the ban.</p>
<p>In 1998,&nbsp;<a class="cite">Alaska</a>&nbsp;voters enacted a constitutional amendment that excludes same-sex couples from marriage.</p>
<p>The state contended that the voters should have the final word, not the courts.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/alaska-gay-marriage-ban-struck-down-unconstitutional-same-sex-2014-10#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/what-happened-to-the-35000-walruses-gathered-in-one-spot-2014-10What Happened To The 35,000 Walruses Gathered In One Spot?http://www.businessinsider.com/what-happened-to-the-35000-walruses-gathered-in-one-spot-2014-10
Wed, 08 Oct 2014 09:46:00 -0400Dina Spector
<p><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/542d0dbceab8ea634cc5ed84-1200-924/walruses-2.jpg" border="0" alt="Walruses"></p><p></p>
<p>Last week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/35000-walruses-gathered-in-alaska-2014-10">a mesmerizing aerial photo showing an estimated 35,000 walruses gathered in one spot</a>.&nbsp;The walruses came together in record numbers off Alaska's northwest coast because they couldn't find enough sea ice to rest on, a grave sign of a warming planet.&nbsp;</p>
<p>There was a lot of commotion over the walrus cluster when the pictures first came out — for a brief time, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/faa-re-routes-flights-over-35000-walruses-2014-10">flights were canceled over the Point Lay shore where the walruses were grouped</a>&nbsp;to avoid a panic-triggered walrus stampede — but there have been few updates about the marine mammals' status since then. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>According to a spokesperson for the World Wildlife Fund, the animals have probably dispersed by now, after eating up all the food in that area.</p>
<p>Here's what a spokesperson for the World Wildlife Fund had to say over email:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">According to our expert, there haven’t been any flights over Point Lay since the Sept. 27 report, so there isn’t an update on the count of walruses. <strong>Most likely, the 35,000 walrus are no longer there</strong>.<strong> Haul outs don’t usually last very long and with 35,000 walrus there won’t be enough food for them to stay.</strong> Such a large number of walruses probably cannot stay in the same place for very long because they will have to travel longer and longer distances to find food. Experience from previous years, has shown that around this time, walruses at Point Lay typically start filtering over to the Russian haul outs.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Here's what's coming, Russia:</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/54353e9c69bedd104706f089-1172-879/ap265376382504-2.jpg" border="0" alt="AP265376382504"><br></span></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/35000-walruses-gathered-in-alaska-2014-10" >35,000 Walruses Are All Crowded Together In One Spot — And It Signals Something Ominous</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-happened-to-the-35000-walruses-gathered-in-one-spot-2014-10#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/35000-walruses-gathered-in-alaska-2014-1035,000 Walruses Are All Crowded Together In One Spot — And It Signals Something Ominoushttp://www.businessinsider.com/35000-walruses-gathered-in-alaska-2014-10
Wed, 01 Oct 2014 11:14:00 -0400Erin Brodwin
<p><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/542c166decad043c322105b0-4897-3040/ap674830551503.jpg" border="0" alt="AP674830551503" style="color: #000000; font-size: 15px;"></p><p><span>Thousands of walruses are gathered together on one of the last places they have to rest in Alaska — the shore. As the ice they typically rely on for respite between hunts has all but disappeared, the giant animals are clambering to the coast in record numbers.</span></p>
<p><span><span>The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) photographed a gathering of 35,000 of the mammals five miles north of Point Lay, <span>an Inupiat Eskimo village 700 miles northwest of Anchorage.</span><br></span></span></p>
<p><span><span>The retreat of the Alaskan sea ice north into Arctic Ocean water has accelerated in recent years. It's bad news for the Pacific walruses, which rely on it for everything from giving birth to diving down to reach the food below.</span><br></span></p>
<p>The huge mammals have been seen gathering in large groups on the Russian side of the Chukchi Sea since 2007<span>. The walruses came back again in 2009, and again in 2011, when scientists counted some 30,000 of the animals along a half-mile stretch of beach near Point Lay.</span></p>
<p>“It’s another remarkable sign of the dramatic environmental conditions changing as the result of sea ice loss,” Margaret Williams, managing director of the World Wildlife Fund's Arctic program, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/01/walrus-mass-vast-numbers-alaska-beach-sea-ice-retreats">told</a> The Guardian.</p>
<p><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/542c166d6bb3f725568ecead-4368-2722/ap445359020085.jpg" border="0" alt="AP445359020085"></p>
<p>At least 1,500 walruses gathered in recent weeks on the northwest coast of Alaska. </p>
<p><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/542c166d69bedd5053fa7c29-3586-2368/ap717630019464.jpg" border="0" alt="AP717630019464"></p>
<p>Pacific walruses in the Chukchi Sea off the coast of Alaska.</p>
<p><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/542c166decad047d2c2105b8-1434-879/ap265376382504.jpg" border="0" alt="AP265376382504"></p>
<p><span><span>Thousands of walruses hauled out of the sea on a remote barrier island in the Chukchi Sea near Point Lay. The Pacific walruses have gone ashore on Alaska's northwest coast and are bunched along a beach near the village of Point Lay. Early on Sept. 12, the National Marine Fisheries Service counted 1,500 to 4,000 walruses. Nearly 10,000 had assembled by the end of the day.</span></span></p>
<h3><span><span><br><strong>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/iceland-sea-monster-lagarfljotsormur-video-2014-10">Icelandic Commission Confirms That Video Of Mythical Sea Monster Lagarfljótsormur Is Actually Real</a></strong></span></span></h3>
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